Temple Dimly’s ‘Marches’ a Jewel Box of Quiet Beauty

There’s this prevailing assumption of what it means to be a Santa Barbara musician — think guitars and beaches — and then there’s the much deeper and more diverse reality containing quiet innovators and off-beat creators. Temple Dimly, the project of multitalented Steve Galbreath, is one such diamond in the rough. His new, free folktronic album Marches is inventive, individual, and inspiring, having all the lovingly cobbled-together qualities and mysteries of a home cook’s secret recipe. “Him” is a piece of lilting beauty; “Dirt” is a jewel box of acoustic and electronic sounds. Galbreath doesn’t seem too sure of himself (“the music is still not anything spectacular,” he writes on his website), so let me say, Steve, if you hoped to make something affecting and unique, you succeeded splendidly. Great job.